By: Sean Crose
Robeisy Ramirez 11-1 fought Isaac Dogboe 24-2 on Saturday night for the vacant WBO featherweight title. The match, which was the main event of ESPN+’s late broadcast, took place in Tulsa and was a Top Ranked show. However, before Ramirez and Dogboe engaged, Joet Gonzalez 25-3 faced Jose Enrique Vivas 22-2 in a scheduled featherweight 10 round. The first round was fast-paced with Vivas putting pressure on and both men throwing skins. The second battle was mostly close combat. Gonzalez did well, but it was Vivas who did a better job making his shots faster.
By the third round, it was clear that Vivas was simply the better insider of the two men, as he continued to attack his men. However, Gonzalez started to have his moments as the round progressed. If he can tire Vivas nonstop, he might have a chance. The fourth is all intense high speed, like the light in a bottle when both men lunge at each other at close range and at high speed. Vivas started to drop his output a bit in the fifth round, and Gonzalez took advantage of the situation by throwing and landing powerful punches.
The sixth fight went so fast that one had to wonder how many more shots each boxer could fire. This is a constant battle going on too hard. The pace eventually slowed down a bit in the seventh inning, though the match was still high octane. Vivas put on good pressure in the eighth inning while Gonzalez delivered powerful shots. Gonzalez went on to beat Vivas in the ninth round, but Vivas only knew one way, and that was to move forward. Both men clearly ran out of gas in the tenth and final rounds, but they continued to battle each other in close quarters.
In the end, all the referees ruled the match in Gonzalez’s favor with cards that were too wide.
It’s time for the main event. The first round is a sensory process. Ramirez landed hard on Dogboe in the second. For his credit, Dogboe was able to quickly compose himself. He then continued to attack in the third round, although Ramirez appeared calm. A skirmish broke out in the fourth inning, with Ramirez hitting long shots and Dogboe landing well. Dogboe hit the action in the fifth installment. Ramirez staggered as he lost his balance early in the sixth round. Dogboe was then crucified by a strong shot from Ramirez later in the inning.
Ramirez landed powerfully and smoothly against his man in the seventh round, while Dogboe gave chase but was largely unable to make an impact. Ramirez appeared comfortable with the way the game played out in the eighth inning. However, is he active enough? Ramirez was simply the sharper shooter of the two men in ninth place. The tenth round was like many before it – Dogboe pressed action while Ramirez picked his shots. Dogboe continued to attack his opponent in the eleventh round, despite Ramirez’s effective throw. The twelfth and final round saw a Dogboe lose his balance to the floor due to a shot from Ramirez. Dogboe got up, but it may have closed the deal for Ramirez. Dogboe fought impressively, but he didn’t land as well as he would have liked.
In the end, the referees awarded the victory to Ramirez by unanimous decision.
